


Supporting Role

by RamPant27



Category: Hooky (Webcomic)
Genre: Drunk William, Fluff, Gay, Happy Ending, M/M, romantic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-24
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:28:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22876306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RamPant27/pseuds/RamPant27
Summary: William struggles to find an heir, Damien struggles with his emotions, Angela struggles with depression, and they keep each other afloat.
Relationships: Damien Wytte/William
Comments: 11
Kudos: 57





	1. A Mother Always Knows

“Good afternoon, mother”

Damien greeted politely, entering the room through tall mahogany doors.

He was confronted with a sickly sweet scent he’d come to associate with his mothers chambers.

The lilac seeds Dani had brought from the East had since grown into tall standing bushes. His mother kept herself busy tending to them in large pots that decorated her room.

———

“She must get tired of sitting in that old room alone all day.”

Dani had pondered aloud.

Damiens brow furrowed,

“I visit her, she’s happy here.”

Even then, he wasn’t so sure, his motherstill mourned the loss of her husband, she often forgot to eat or neglected to leave her chambers for weeks on end.

Dani nodded,

“I know she is, I just don’t like the idea of her being alone so often, doesn’t she have something to occupy herself?”

A month later Dani returned from one of her trips, gushing excitedly with a small pouch of seeds.

Mother loved gardening when they were young, she used to let Damien play in the grass while she plucked weeds from the base of her plants. The lush leaves and beautiful flowers towered high over his head. In his mind they were tall as trees and as dense as a cornfield. Looking back they were probably less than a yard from the ground. He remembered how carefree mother had seemed all those years ago, he wondered if Dani knew how happy this would make her, if Danis memories reached that far in the past.

He smiled softly, taking the pouch from his sisters hand,

“She’ll love these, thank you Dani.”

Dani grinned back, her face lighting up at the sight of her older brothers illusive smile.

“Not a problem. Me and Nico are heading out soon, say hi for me?”

———

“Damien, how have you been?”

His mother smiled kindly.

Dirt smeared the fair skin of her face, she wore gloves that reached her elbows, her dark hair was pinned back into a large braid that kept it from being a bother while she worked.

She peeled the gloves from her hands and gestured to the table by the window.

“Please, sit! You can tell me all about your time with the king and his wife. You said you were celebrating King Williams twenty-seventh birthday, how was it?”

_‘Horrible’_ Damien thought, but he wasn’t about to explain just why, he dodged the question without a hint of hesitation, somehow avoiding going red in the face at the memories of that night.

“I’m afraid I don’t have much time to stay, I just wanted to make sure you’d eaten.”

His mother nodded in understanding,

“Yes, one of the serving girls brought me dinner.”

“I’m glad,”

Damien glanced over to a nearby brush of lilacs,

“It’s good to see you’re enjoying Dani’s gift.”

“Oh!”

She turned, moving towards a shelf near the far wall of the room,

“I’d almost forgotten!”

She returned with a small bunch of trimmed lilacs held together with a delicate blue ribbon. Offering them forward for Damien to take.

Damien frowned in confusion.

“For your king,”

She smiled knowingly,

“I’ve heard he’s been depressed lately”

Damiens face felt aflame, he could only hope it didn’t show,

“That’s one word for it.”

He mumbled, taking the flowers in hand.

“Good luck with that one.”

His mother said earnestly.

Damien groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

His mother let out a light laugh.

“Goodnight mother,”

He grumbled, walking briskly from her room.

“Goodnight son!”

She called after him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I plan to continue this shortly with affectionate drunk William and gay panic Damien. Romanticism and homosexual crisis coming soon :)


	2. Fragile

The flowers trembled in his worrying hands. Pale fingers studied the thin stem of the plant, turning the bouquet over as if the new angle could provide some sort of clarity.

He shifted in his rickety wooden seat, perched on its edge so he might rest his arms on the desk in front of him.

He couldn’t leave them to wither, his mother already felt so distant from her children. This symbol of her care was important, and couldn’t be squandered. Nor could he offer them to the king, who’s drunken bursts of emotion had only become more frequent as he aged. No, he couldn’t encourage the man to make such brash advancements he’d only come to regret when sobriety struck. Damien wasn’t that cruel.

His face reddened. William took in more ale than air these days, and when Monica disapproved, the king would often end up by Damiens door. Demanding what Damien knew he couldn’t in good conscience provide.

He remembered his mother’s giddy laugh when she handed him the lilacs.

Then, it struck him what he was comparing. He was earnestly considering sacrificing his mother’s happiness to spare his own emotions.

The second that thought entered his head, the decision was made. He stood, making his way for the door. Once he’d left his room behind, he walked briskly down the corridor, heading for the kings chambers.

Damien had always been rather perceptive. He’s had to rely on quick reactions and good instincts to survive most of his life. Keen ears, an observant gaze, and gut instinct have saved him in countless life or death encounters. So when the soft sound of labored breathing and helpless whimpering drew his attention from a ships length away, he was less than surprised.

He frowned, quickening his steps to find the sounds source.

“William?”

He spoke carefully.

The kings crumpled form, tucked carefully into the corner of the hallway, only emitted muted sobs in response.

“Will?”

Damien crouched to the kings height. William’s head turned to face him. Tears tracked down his face like the flow of honey from a hive, collecting near his chin and leaving glistening trails in their wake. A deep red flushed the kings face as if his skin had been roughed with course wool. Damien had never seen him this way. Will was usually a confident disaster after he drank, today he seemed to just melt into the floor like spilled candle wax.

Damien wordlessly lifted the king to his feet, pulling Will’s arm around his shoulders for support. He was mindful of the flowers, which he’d gripped lightly in the hand that wasn’t anchored around Williams waist.

“Damien.”

Will gasped out quietly, sounding breathless from crying.

Now less than a breath away from Williams face, Damien could smell the stench of alcohol that surrounded the king in a hazy cloud.

“Let’s get you out of this corridor.”

Damien spoke,

“I’ll help you to your chambers.”

Will mumbled his thanks, letting his friend haul half his weight while they walked.

Damien lead them to the kings chambers, giving a curt nod to the guards by the door. The guards knew not to be worried, the king was often seen stumbling back to his room, if anything they were glad to see someone with him.

Damien walked the king to his bed, and clutching the flowers carefully, lowered William to sit on the edge of the soft feather mattress.

William watched groggily as Damien moved about the room. He was free of any awareness other than-

“Damien came to get me.”

He chortled to himself through his tears, smiling giddily.

Damien looked over from where he stood, noting the gentle sway and tilt to Wills posture.

Shaking his head, Damien walked over to the king and placed a hand against his chest, forcing him to lay down before he made himself sick.

Damien pulled his hand back, but a tugging at his wrist stopped him. Will clutched desperately to his sleeve.

“Don’t— don’t go, I need you.”

He mumbled, exhausted.

“I neeeeed you Dames, I need you n’ your... your words!”

Damien flushed pink.

“I need your word... an’ your hair...”

Will made a face like this was something very serious.

“need your hair.”

“God you’re a mess.”

Damien made a move to leave, but Will grabbed at the collar of his tunic, bringing Damien down at an awkward angle, leaning over the bed, arms braced against the mattress to keep from falling forward, bringing Damien into that heavy smell of ale.

“Agh— what-?”

Damien managed to choke out before a hand found its way to the side of his face. His words died in his throat at the feeling of Wills rough hand against his cheek.Wills fingers moved up his head and carded softly through Damiens hair. The warmth of his touch holding Damien in place so the hand on his shirt didn’t have to.

“Like your hair.”

Will muttered happily.

“S’maagic.”

Damiens face was blazing with heat. He let himself bask in the light of Williams gaze for as long as his selfishness would allow.

“You’re drunk Will, sleep.”

The kings hand slid from his hair to constrict around Damien, cradling his head in the crook of his elbow, bring them even closer.

“An you’re a lil’ grumpy guy. Grumpy old man.”

He let the heavy, alcoholic breaths hit his face, which was less than a few inches from the king’s.

Damien scowled in spite of the deep blush on his face.

“You’re such an idiot.”

But for once in his life, he couldn’t bring the malice to his voice.

He pulled away, leaving Will alone in his bed.

“Damien!!”

He called out.

The door closed with a hollow sound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may have noticed these chapters are short, but pretty frequent. That’s how I’ll be updating this for now,  
> Next chapter will be a mix of sweet and sad I believe.  
> Coming soon :-)


	3. Pain and Healing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God, school’s a lot of work. I have to be awake in two hours and I haven’t slept. Here’s a rollercoaster of a chapter. Have fun :)

A burning flame and a beating drum took residence behind his eyes. Aching pain and endless heat overtook his every thought, and when his eyelids were brought open by force of will, he was blinded with light. Left groaning in a mess of sticky sweat and a mouth as dry as a bone picked clean by scavenging animals in a desert heat. 

He pulled his eyes shut, saving himself from the stinging light that flooded the room like an airborne toxin.

His skin itched under layers of royal robes and heavy boots.

A ruler of a kingdom, reduced to writhing in the daylight under the poison of alcohol and the sting of his constant troubles.

He lay still until the door to his chambers opened carefully.

The servants had grown accustomed to accounting for the kings mornings, which were always more concerning than the last.

The soft footsteps of a serving boy rang clear as day in his ears, adding pressure to the constant throbbing in his head that came in solid blows. Likean artist carving his brain from marble, it broke through the layers of his skull and skillfully chipped away at his willingness to rise.

Long after the business of the serving boy had been tended to (which no longer included waking the king) the chambers were left in silence.

William cautiously let his eyes fall open, shifting his arms to support himself as he rose like a man twice his age. He kept his back to the windows, and blinked wearily, waiting for the room to still from its nauseating rocking. He surveyed what he could see closest to him through his haze of pain. Someone had placed a cup filled with water at his bedside, something no servant had done before.

He drank from the cup, gasping water into his throat like a drowning man.

It was a long pause before he gathered the strength to stand.

He made for the door, having no need to change, when something bright caught his eye.

A dark metallic pitcher he hadn’t used in months sat newly dusted on the mantle. Inside lay a beautiful collection of deep magenta flowers Will couldn’t identify.

He reached out to their small, delicate petals, felling them quiver gracefully under his touch.

He lifted one of the plants by its stem, letting the water roll off of it as he brought the flower under his nose.

The scent drifted through him, relaxing the tense corners of his mind, bringing a small sense of peace to his frayed nerves.

He knew that smell, he recognized the sweet scent from somewhere he couldn’t quite place.

Leaving the flower behind, safely in its makeshift vase, he left the room, heading to Monica’s where they regularly shared breakfast along with Damien.

A memory of the night before forced itself to the forefront of his mind. He remembered Damien above him. His pale face adorned with a beautiful red flush. His hair, the feeling of the soft mass beneath his fingers. The pure white, gentle caress of it in his hand, and Damien, mumbling something combative yet with a kind concern woven beneath. Will remembered feeling safe, happy, for the first time in days, losing the empty feeling that rested in his chest like a parasite, stealing his strength.

Will smiled to himself, he liked that memory, and the warm feeling that settled in him along with it.

He reached Monica’s room, knocking firmly on the surface of the door.

“Enter.”

Damien’s voice responded from inside.

William opened the door, greeted with the level expression of his advisor.

“Monica is visiting Dorian in the city this morning.”

Will nodded. Taking his seat,

“And a good morning to you as well.”

“I don’t suspect it was,”

Damien noted, stepping closer to Will. He reached out, fixing the clasp on the kings robe, which had been bent in on itself at an awkward angle.

“I’d never seen you as taken apart by a drink before. I can’t imagine this morning is anything short of agonizing.”

Damiens eyes met Will’s

“You were a disaster.”

His face bent in anger.

“What will it take to make you stop acting like an idiot.”

The force behind his words brought the parasite back to Wills chest, adding its weight to the ache in his head. His tongue felt heavy in his mouth.

“I’m a king. It’s my duty to solve my issues. I must cope with them however necessary.”

Damien’s scowl only deepened,

“You consider this ‘coping’? I am your advisor, and it is _my_ duty to ensure whatever issues you have are delt with in ways that aren’t fucking _stupid_.”

Damien’s face reddened as he took steps closer to Will that reminded him of just how powerful Damien really was.

“You have an issue? You tell me. You tell Monica. We are here to help you. Not to watch you drown in bottle after bottle.”

Will glared darkly, his anger overtaking the weariness in his bones,

“And what right do I have? Offering you unsolvable problems? Taking your care and your kindness and having _nothing_ to give in return? I can’t leave you with the responsibilities of a king, I can’t let the weight of my problems become yours to bare.”

“And what of my purpose by your side? As an advisor? Your issues are my issues. I am a party intended specifically to carry your burdens alongside you. To offer my aid where I can. I can’t fulfill my purpose if you tell me nothing! I can’t be left in the dark and expected to help you fix whatever this issue is!”

Damien took in a ragged breath,

“What do you want from me?”

He stared forward, his eyes desperately searching William’s face for any answer he could glean,

“Why won’t you talk to me?”

Will grew quiet at that.

“I-“

He stuttered out,

“I don’t know.”

He lowered his head,

“I didn’t want to upset you.”

Damien sighed,

“It’s far more upsetting when I’m left clueless and.. when I’m scared for you.”

Will nodded,

“I understand.”

When will looked up, Damien’s face had relaxed, eyebrows slightly bent in concern, or maybe hurt.

“Can I hug you?”

He asked.

Damien nodded.

Will brought his arms around Damien’s upper back, pulling him in tight.

Damien’s embrace wrapped around him and stifled the worry that burrowed in his turning stomach. He let himself melt into the comfort of holding him close, closing his eyes and letting his muscles lose their tension. He let himself relax, hugging tighter when Damien shifted his head further into the crook of Wills neck. Will breathed in a scent that surrounded Damien in a sweet cloud. Something he recognized almost immediately from earlier that day.

“You brought me the flowers.”

He whispered into Damien’s ear, which flushed red almost instantaneously.

“Shut up.”

Damien grumbled.

Will chuckled lightly, breaking the hug despite his own wishes.

“We should eat.”

“God, I forgot that’s why we were here.”

Will smiled fondly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, toodleoo ;)


End file.
